voices from the Shanghai lockdown

voices-from-the-shanghai-lockdown

Memory Project: The Shanghai Lockdown

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

An oral history of a two-month, 25 million-person lockdown.

Sixth Tone

Freight or Flight: COVID Wake Leaves Shanghai’s Port High and Dry

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Though some restrictions have been lifted, container ship schedules remain unstable.

The Paper

Learning the True Meaning of Freedom a Gift for Children’s Day

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

5-year-old Chenchen’s hopes for reopening: Legos and ice cream.

Fan Yiying

Ni Dandan

Snapshots of Shanghai, In Between Lockdown and Reopening 

Visual stories that get up close and personal with contemporary China. A mix of short videos, documentaries, photography, and data visualization.

MULTIMEDIA

Staff at Temporary Pet Shelter Bid Farewell To Four-legged Friends 

With the number of COVID-19 cases dropping in Shanghai, a temporary shelter for pets begins to close its doors.

Liu Xingzhe

Train to Chengdu: Two Students Reflect on Leaving Shanghai 

Many are setting off for their hometowns with mixed feelings.

Luo Meihan

Giving Rides to People on Their Way out of Locked-Down Shanghai

With most of the city locked down, a hundred or so cabs are still on the road. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... a taxi.

Wu Peiyue

Dining Out, Parks, Travel: Shanghai’s Post Lockdown Wishlist

As restrictions continue, residents in locked-down cities dream of normalcy, and simple pleasures.

Late Post

In Shanghai, Homeless Delivery Workers Are Surviving on Free Takeout

Many delivery workers have been sleeping rough for weeks, as they’re unable to enter their residential complexes during the lockdown. Local residents are trying to provide them with bedding and hot meals.

Ye Zhanhang

Photographs of an Empty Shanghai

Photographer Gao Zheng was one of the lucky few allowed to leave lockdown in mid-April. He felt like the last person in Shanghai.

Gao Zheng

In Locked-Down Shanghai, Students Adapt to a Surreal New Normal

Schools have introduced color-coded QR codes to regulate students’ access to supermarkets and even shared bathrooms, as they try to maintain social distancing on crowded campuses.

Zhang Wanqing

The Small Group Rescuing Animals During Shanghai Lockdown

A Canadian who runs an animal aid organization in Shanghai describes how the team adapts to lockdown restrictions.

Lee-Anne Armstrong

Delivering Vital Oxygen Cylinders Door to Door in Shanghai

Lü Xiao

Shanghai Lockdown Brings Back Memories of China's Past

Shanghai residents have said that lockdown reminds them of China’s planned past. We asked someone who remembers that era to compare.

Lockdown on Aisle 5: From Shanghai Supermarket to Crisis Depot

Dozens of workers have spent weeks sleeping in their store to provide supplies to a closed-down town.

How the Lockdown Is Remaking Shanghai Neighborhoods

Your questions, answered. In-depth interviews with the minds and makers shaping today’s China.

Q & A

Sociologist Sun Zhe has studied Shanghai community organizations for over a decade. He believes the ramifications of the current lockdown will be felt far into the future.

Cai Yineng

The Tech Support Next Door

When their elderly neighbors struggled for supplies amid the Shanghai lockdown, one young couple stepped up. Soon, many followed.

Beijing Youth Daily

He Was Visiting Shanghai. Then His Health Code Turned Red. 

A Shanxi native describes his harrowing journey from homelessness to finding shelter during the citywide lockdown.

Yuan Ye

For the Takeout-Hungry, Shanghai’s Lockdown Is a Pressure Cooker

Some didn’t own pots and pans, while others indulged in online orders. Now they’re either learning to cook or just struggling.

How COVID Is Changing the Chinese Diet

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

As lockdowns disrupt food chains across China, young Chinese are rediscovering the value of fresh food and home cooking.